Last Friday's games did not do a whole lot to sort out the district race because the four teams that were expected to win did in fact come out on top. However, things will get much more interesting this Friday (Oct. 3rd) with two big games on tap that will have a definite impact on the title chances for a number of teams.
The headliner will of course be Stuarts Draft's trip to Alleghany, which will pit two teams against one another that are both unbeaten in district play. Of course I can tell you this far in advance that the Cougars are definitely going to win..........what's that?........oh you want to know WHICH Cougars will win? .....Well read a little further down and I will tell you.
Also on tap and pretty darn important here in the county will be Wilson's trip to Fort Defiance, where those two teams also still have title aspirations. Rounding out the four-game slate will be Waynesboro's trip to Staunton and Buffalo Gap rolling into Rockbridge in a game where someone will finally get their first district win.
As I explained last week, for the remainder of the season, there will be four district games each week, leaving one team taking the night off. Staunton rested up last week and this time it will be Riverheads that will not be in action.
So let's get cracking and analyze those four games.......Just to built the suspense, I won't do my usual alphabetical order but will instead save the Cougar Clash for last.
BUFFALO GAP AT ROCKBRIDGE: The Bison are 0-3 in district play, losing to Wilson, Riverheads and Fort Defiance on consecutive Fridays. RCHS on the other hand stayed right in the game with Staunton a few weeks ago, the same Staunton team that then turned around and nearly upset Alleghany. So getting this one at home, you might expect the Wildcats to be favored, but I don't think so. Isaac Goff runs hard for the Gap and they do have that 50-0 win over Bath County on their resume, so I have to go with the Bison in this one. Probably a two-touchdown or so difference.
WAYNESBORO AT STAUNTON: These two bitter rivals are perhaps better known for their battles on the basketball court but they will get fired up for this as well. Fans in Waynesboro feel as if they have already had an early Christmas with two wins so far this season after snapping a 20+ game losing streak. Staunton, as already touched upon, has been a bit of a mystery. How do you squeeze by winless Rockbridge one week and then take unbeaten Alleghany down to the wire the next? I will go with Staunton in one of those 34-21 kind of games but if Waynesboro pulls it off, we all may have to start taking notice.
WILSON AT FORT DEFIANCE: Each year this game is played as a fund-raiser to support area fire and rescue squads, certainly an admirable cause. But someone may have to "save" me here because I have NO IDEA who to pick in this one! They have common opponents in Turner Ashby and Buffalo Gap, but those results don't help much. One odd statistic is that Fort Defiance has won all three of its road games but has lost both of its home games. One of those losses came in their last home appearance, a 24-0 shutout loss to Stuarts Draft. Since Wilson has shut out two opponents already this season, maybe their defense will be more than the Fort can handle. So based on that I will go with Wilson, but I will be shocked if the margin is more than a touchdown either way. It might come down to Wilson's kicker, who looked impressive in Friday's Riverheads win.
So there you have it. Good luck to everyone and I hope your team wins. See you later this week...........
What's that? Oh did I forget a game?????????? Oh gosh............... I guess I did..........
STUARTS DRAFT AT ALLEGHANY: Even going back to last year, I told folks that Alleghany would be the team to beat this year, because Des Jordan (hope I have the name right) just sounds unstoppable. Yes, they are 4-0 this season, but two of those wins were just by one point, including the already-mentioned home victory over Staunton. If they had gone over to Waynesboro Friday and routed the Giants like 54-0 or something, I might still be convinced that they are the district favorites. But if I followed correctly, it was only 14-0 at halftime and a 36-14 final. SD on the other hand has been on a roll, led by the dual threats of Graber and Moore. So until they do something to change my mind, the Cougars (the Stuarts Draft Cougars that is) are my new pick for district champs, and the title could come down to the final night of the regular season when they travel to Wilson. So look for a tight, hard-fought win for the visitors in this one. Might even come down to a missed PAT or a successful two-pointer.
OK, NOW I guess I am finished. Last but not least, let's hope Mother Nature cooperates one more time and gives us all another pleasant Friday night to watch these games.
The headliner will of course be Stuarts Draft's trip to Alleghany, which will pit two teams against one another that are both unbeaten in district play. Of course I can tell you this far in advance that the Cougars are definitely going to win..........what's that?........oh you want to know WHICH Cougars will win? .....Well read a little further down and I will tell you.
Also on tap and pretty darn important here in the county will be Wilson's trip to Fort Defiance, where those two teams also still have title aspirations. Rounding out the four-game slate will be Waynesboro's trip to Staunton and Buffalo Gap rolling into Rockbridge in a game where someone will finally get their first district win.
As I explained last week, for the remainder of the season, there will be four district games each week, leaving one team taking the night off. Staunton rested up last week and this time it will be Riverheads that will not be in action.
So let's get cracking and analyze those four games.......Just to built the suspense, I won't do my usual alphabetical order but will instead save the Cougar Clash for last.
BUFFALO GAP AT ROCKBRIDGE: The Bison are 0-3 in district play, losing to Wilson, Riverheads and Fort Defiance on consecutive Fridays. RCHS on the other hand stayed right in the game with Staunton a few weeks ago, the same Staunton team that then turned around and nearly upset Alleghany. So getting this one at home, you might expect the Wildcats to be favored, but I don't think so. Isaac Goff runs hard for the Gap and they do have that 50-0 win over Bath County on their resume, so I have to go with the Bison in this one. Probably a two-touchdown or so difference.
WAYNESBORO AT STAUNTON: These two bitter rivals are perhaps better known for their battles on the basketball court but they will get fired up for this as well. Fans in Waynesboro feel as if they have already had an early Christmas with two wins so far this season after snapping a 20+ game losing streak. Staunton, as already touched upon, has been a bit of a mystery. How do you squeeze by winless Rockbridge one week and then take unbeaten Alleghany down to the wire the next? I will go with Staunton in one of those 34-21 kind of games but if Waynesboro pulls it off, we all may have to start taking notice.
WILSON AT FORT DEFIANCE: Each year this game is played as a fund-raiser to support area fire and rescue squads, certainly an admirable cause. But someone may have to "save" me here because I have NO IDEA who to pick in this one! They have common opponents in Turner Ashby and Buffalo Gap, but those results don't help much. One odd statistic is that Fort Defiance has won all three of its road games but has lost both of its home games. One of those losses came in their last home appearance, a 24-0 shutout loss to Stuarts Draft. Since Wilson has shut out two opponents already this season, maybe their defense will be more than the Fort can handle. So based on that I will go with Wilson, but I will be shocked if the margin is more than a touchdown either way. It might come down to Wilson's kicker, who looked impressive in Friday's Riverheads win.
So there you have it. Good luck to everyone and I hope your team wins. See you later this week...........
What's that? Oh did I forget a game?????????? Oh gosh............... I guess I did..........
STUARTS DRAFT AT ALLEGHANY: Even going back to last year, I told folks that Alleghany would be the team to beat this year, because Des Jordan (hope I have the name right) just sounds unstoppable. Yes, they are 4-0 this season, but two of those wins were just by one point, including the already-mentioned home victory over Staunton. If they had gone over to Waynesboro Friday and routed the Giants like 54-0 or something, I might still be convinced that they are the district favorites. But if I followed correctly, it was only 14-0 at halftime and a 36-14 final. SD on the other hand has been on a roll, led by the dual threats of Graber and Moore. So until they do something to change my mind, the Cougars (the Stuarts Draft Cougars that is) are my new pick for district champs, and the title could come down to the final night of the regular season when they travel to Wilson. So look for a tight, hard-fought win for the visitors in this one. Might even come down to a missed PAT or a successful two-pointer.
OK, NOW I guess I am finished. Last but not least, let's hope Mother Nature cooperates one more time and gives us all another pleasant Friday night to watch these games.
